On Mar 24, 4:23 pm, " wrote:

am I venturing into something that will probably not work out very
well?

Sam, there are some pretty smart guys in this group, some actually
have restaurants, some are serious competitors, etc., so they know a
lot about the ins and outs of professional barbecuing.

However, I am none of those. So I will give you my opinion here, and
you can take it for what it's worth, which may be exactly what you
paid for it!

To identify your market, I would ask customers what THEY want. There
isn't much use in asking us what you should do in your little
specialty meat market.

I have my own business and have been self employed for almost 30
years. One of the grandest things that can happen to a new business
is to have a great idea, be hard nosed about it, stick your guns and
do it your own way. It's wonderful when it works. Sadly, serving the
public doesn't necessarily mean that you get to do what you want.

And for something as subjective as "what's for dinner" , I would sure
find out what the public wanted. Ribs? What kind? Pork? Pulled,
sliced, roasted over a hot grill, etc. Beef? You get the picture.
Why don't you spend a few cents and have some cheap cards or post
cards printed up and give them to your regulars with a questionnaire
on the back? Tell them you will give them XXX off their next order
when they come back in to see you with the card filled out.

That way you could identify your menu as well as your style of
cooking. To the restaurant crowd, what you want will mean very
little when it comes to spending their money.

I read post after post on alt.coffee where people have gone out of
business in their coffee shops blaming the public for their failure.
They used the best beans, great equipment, trained their barristas
personally, and could pull a shot with perfect crema filling a
demitasse cup perfectly. They were artists in a market of heathens,
and they really resented the fact that those around them didn't
appreciate the quality of their efforts. (Seriously, it is a lot
harder to pull a perfect shot than it sounds.)

But they had too many people like me in their respective locations
that only drank plain coffee. I don't want espresso, or any of the
other stuff they put in "coffee drinks" to make their dough. I don't
like coffee drinks. I can remember one guy in particular, he sank all
his money, time, and 110% effort to be a coffee artist (good for
him!). But as a card carrying members of the great unwashed public,
we were too stupid to appreciate it. We just wanted coffee.

Lesson learned there was just asking first would have probably made
their businesses successful as they would have known how to tailor
their product. To put a finer point on that, much to his great pain a
new business moved in there that served pastries and coffee.
Last time I read anything on that, he said to his great surprise and
hurt feelings that they were doing fine.

Good luck if you decide to do it! I hope you let us all know how you
work it out.

Robert